In its worst forms, compulsive hoarding can cause fires, unclean living conditions because of rat and roach infestations, injuries from tripping over clutter, and other health and safety problems, including death.
On this blog, we previously examined the effects of compulsive hoarding on a family and their daughter. These parents’ dysfunctional lifestyle showcased the unsanitary and sometimes dangerous impact hoarding can have on a family.
Extreme Case of Hoarding
The following account brings to light the grim reality of what can happen to an elderly person living alone and suffering from a compulsive hoarding disorder. Source: NBCWashington.com
When Eunice Workman disappeared seven years ago, a search was launched but turned up nothing.
Then in March of 2009, investigators believed they found the elderly woman’s bones right inside her own home.
Investigators were called to a home in the 700 block of 47th Street in Oakland at about 8 p.m. Wednesday where workers hired to clean an abandoned home had discovered a cache of human bones that are now believed to Workman’s, an officer from the Oakland Police Department said.
The home was reportedly filled from floor to ceiling with hoarded belongings. Preliminary reports indicated that the victim may have died by being crushed or trapped by collected piles of junk, and was simply never found, police said.
Her children reported her as missing several years ago and people looked for her but she was never found. The thought was that she might have left town.
Her next-door neighbor told NBC that she was nice and quiet but a little eccentric given the amount of junk she had collected inside her home.
This extreme example highlights the importance of a regular presence in the life on an elderly person. Home Care assistance, such as employing a Home Instead Caregiver, can help with such ordinary aspects of daily living as sorting through and cleaning out clutter and garbage from the home, and providing communication with out-of-town family members who may be unable to physically help care for their aging relative.
Be sure your elderly loved one is safe and clutter-free at home.
If you know of a senior or have an elderly loved one in Richmond or Tappahannock that may have hoarding tendencies, simply call our Home Instead Senior Care office at 804.527.1100 for assistance.
{ 0 comments }
